The Columbus Blue Jackets must have felt a gut punch when news emerged that Cale Makar signed an eight-year, $163.2 million contract.
The problem wasn't Makar signing the contract itself. The problem is that now, the Blue Jackets could have a major pickle on their hands named Zach Werenski.
Werenski is entering the second-last year of his current six-year deal. That's not necessarily a problem right now .
But it will be next summer.
The Blue Jackets and their Norris Trophy-winning defenseman appeared to have patched things up after Werenski had reportedly asked for a trade. There was even talk about a deal with the Dallas Stars that had fallen through.
So, if Columbus and Werenski are really committed to one another, is Makar moving the bar for every NHL defenseman going to be a problem for the parties in question?
Absolutely.
And now, as the Jackets deal with the Adam Fantilli situation , it seems like keeping Werenski will cost Columbus even more than they had originally thought of. If Werenski demands Makar-type money next summer, when he's eligible to sign an extension, the Blue Jackets may really have no other choice but to move on from their top defenseman.
But would Columbus really have any other choice?
If the Blue Jackets come to the conclusion that they simply cannot afford what Werenski will want next summer, they may have to start thinking about a trade sooner rather than later.
That might sound extreme, but Makar just changed the conversation.
Columbus is projected to have roughly $65 million in cap space for the 2028-29 season, when Werenski's next contract would kick in. On paper, that sounds like an enormous amount of room. But a $20 million salary for Werenski would eat up nearly a third of it before the Blue Jackets even account for the rest of their roster.
Then there is Adam Fantilli.
If the former No. 3 overall pick eventually signs a massive long-term contract, the combination of Fantilli and Werenski could consume an enormous portion of Columbus' available cap space. That could force the organization into some difficult decisions.
And if the Blue Jackets aren't convinced Werenski will accept something below Makar's $20.4 million annual salary, they may decide it is better to trade him before that situation arrives.
The timing could even make sense this season.
Werenski would still carry enormous value around the league, and a contender could be willing to pay a premium for an elite defenseman with term remaining on his contract.
For Columbus, that could be the beginning of a painful but necessary reset.
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The bigger problem for the Blue Jackets is that they still haven't completely established where they are going.
Columbus has some exciting young talent, but this team remains stuck somewhere between rebuilding and competing. That's a dangerous place to be when you have an expensive superstar approaching a contract decision.
Things could get even more complicated.
The Blue Jackets are facing the possibility of losing Kirill Marchenko, while Fantilli's contract situation could potentially drag into the regular season. If Fantilli actually holds out, Columbus would have an even harder time convincing anyone that this is a team ready to take a major step forward.
That matters for Werenski.
If the Blue Jackets believe they can contend soon, paying their Norris Trophy-winning defenseman whatever it takes becomes easier to justify. But if another season comes and goes without meaningful progress, the organization has to ask whether keeping an extremely expensive defenseman makes sense on a team that isn't close to contending for the Stanley Cup.
That's where a Werenski trade could eventually become the solution.
The Blue Jackets don't have to make that decision today. They have time to see what happens this season and whether their young core takes another step.
But if Columbus fails to make meaningful progress, the conversation changes.
At that point, trading Werenski wouldn't necessarily mean the Blue Jackets are giving up.
It could mean they're finally admitting that the current plan isn't working.
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